Categories
3D Printing Release_Candidate

LulzBot drops some hardware

Lulzbot, everyone’s favorite 3D printer company, announced some amazing new stuff today. The first is a new version of their customized Cura, my choice for quick and easy slicing/plating for Lulzbot printers. But the really interesting stuff is all the hardware they announced!

Modular Bed System for both the Taz and Mini

Dual Extruder v3, with a new water-soluble support filament

 

A new inexpensive enclosure for either the Taz or Mini, and very exciting for a lot of libraries, a stand-alone controller for the Mini that just clips on and allows for computer-free printing directly from an SD card.

It’s great to see Lulzbot continue to innovate and make their printers even more useful. There’s a reason they are my number one choice for libraries looking at a 3d printer purchase.

Categories
3D Printing

3D Printers for Libraries, 2017 Edition

Back in 2014, I wrote a Library Technology Report for ALA entitled 3D Printers for Libraries (Creative Commons licensed version found can be found here). In the past 3 years, much has changed in the world of 3D printing: they exploded across libraryland, became cheaper and more useful, and the number of printer makers has grown like mad. So when ALA asked if I’d update the LTR for 2017, I said yes.

In it, I cover many of the changes in the 3D printing landscape, including the huge variety of new filaments and their properties. Tons of new printers, new types of control software that’s emerged since the last Report, and lots more that can help inform libraries and librarians about the possibilities for 3D printers in 2017.

I hope people find it useful and informative!

Categories
3D Printing Release_Candidate

 BlackBelt 3D Printer

This is the first truly novel FDM 3d printer that I’ve seen in years…not only do they look like they’ve solved a few issues (printing at an angle allows for overhangs to be dealt with differently) but the never-ending printed is genius. The printer isn’t cheap, but this is extremely clever engineering.

I look forward to seeing this come to fruition.

Categories
3D Printing Release_Candidate

LulzBot Mini Enclosure

Libraries everywhere have been asking me about an enclosure for the Mini, and finally there’s one that Lulzbot stands behind. Looks great, protects from grabbing little hands, and stabilizes the print area temperatures so ABS and the like can print more reliably. Win!

Reduce warping, shrinkage, and splitting of 3D printed parts, like ABS, while keeping curious hands away from the heated, moving components of your 3D printer.

Source: LulzBot Mini Enclosure by Printed Solid | LulzBot

Categories
3D Printing Release_Candidate

3D Printing Models That Balance or Breakdance

Super clever stuff coming out of Disney Research, in which they define balance points of 3D printed objects via internal channels and sliding mass.

The latest project from Disney Research, which is often busy with impressive projects involving 3D technologies, involves the creation of 3D printed objects capable of performing gravity-defying feats of balance.

Source: Disney Research Devises a Method of 3D Printing Models That Balance or Breakdance | 3DPrint.com

Categories
3D Printing Release_Candidate

3D-printed Drinks

This looks like the sort of thing that you might find at Aviary

PRINT A DRINK combines methods from robotics, life sciences, and design to explore a completely new field of 3D-printing. Rather than building up objects layer by layer, the process uses a high-end KUKA iiwa robot to accurately “inject” microliter-drops of edible liquid into a cocktail. Within a minute, PRINT A DRINK can build up complex 3D structures in a wide range of drinks – creating fascinating augmented cocktails using only natural ingredients.

Source: 3D-printed Drinks

Categories
3D Printing Hardware Maker

Libraries, 3D Printer management, and Octoprint

Way back in 2014 I wrote a Library Technology Report  called 3D Printers for Libraries, one of the first long form works that set out to explain 3D printing to librarians. It is licensed under a CC BY-NC license, and 2 years seems like plenty of time for me to avoid linking to a copy here on the blog, so if you’re interested, here’s a PDF copy of it for you.

Since then, the market for 3D printers has exploded, but there have emerged a few new leaders that weren’t as well established when I wrote the LTR. Since that report was released, my favorite printers and the ones that I recommend for libraries are the Lulzbot Mini and Lulzbot Taz 6…they are spectacular FDM printers, capable and easy to use. Even better, they are certified Open Hardware and use Open Source software top to bottom, which means that they are easily repaired and have a myriad of options for printer management, slicing, and control.

One of those options is something that I’ve not seen recommended for libraries, but that I feel like they and others could get a huge amount of mileage from. Octoprint is an open source control program for 3D printers that runs on a variety of hardware (there are install instructions for Windows, OS X, and Linux) but by far the most interesting and useful method for using it is via the OctoPi project that uses a Raspberry Pi as a host for the Octoprint system and all its requirements. You can download pre-built images for a Raspberry Pi, flash an SD card, boot up the Pi, and have a robust and flexible management system for your 3D printer ready to go.
Screen Shot 2016-09-04 at 11.23.48 PMWhat does Octoprint do? For compatible printers (which includes nearly any that use the industry standard gcode instructions to print), Octoprint can control every aspect of the printer, including:

Screen Shot 2016-09-04 at 11.23.36 PM

  • Print queuing
  • Slicing
  • Physical control (movement of printhead, temperature, etc)
  • Gcode previewing, including printhead movement
  • Start, stop, and pause prints
  • Full plugin architecture that allows for everything from cost estimation and filament usage, printer usage statistics, and integration with a variety of messaging apps (get Slack notifications when a print is completed, for example)
  • Native support for video streaming via an attached webcam, including the ability to use the same camera for time lapses of your prints

3D printing MtF Case Wood

The best part? All of the above take place in a web browser. No client software needed, no keeping up with installs of Cura or other printer-specific software. Suddenly you can start a print or monitor your printer from anywhere on your network, or from anywhere in the world if you forward the appropriate port externally. I recently uploaded and started a new print on the printer in my basement while in a different hemisphere…

You can preset the available plastic types and quality settings through printing profiles for slicing of uploaded STL files. For my part, since my primary printer is a Lulzbot Mini, I just downloaded the profiles directly from the manufacturer and uploaded them to Octoprint, and can now upload any STL that I find directly to my printer, from anywhere I am in the world.

Screen Shot 2016-09-04 at 10.49.43 PM

For most libraries, just the ease of statistics and usage tracking would be enough to make Octoprint useful enough to try out.

Screen Shot 2016-09-04 at 10.46.06 PM Screen Shot 2016-09-04 at 10.46.22 PM

But add in the ability to control your printer(s) from any computer, to video stream the printing and watch for errors remotely, to be alerted when a print completes…it’s just a much more robust way of managing your 3D printing. And for the cost of a Raspberry Pi and maybe an hour of setup, you can be up and running.

This isn’t to say that Octoprint solves all 3D printing problems. It’s largest shortcoming in my opinion is its lack of plating tools…if you have an STL, you are stuck with just printing that single STL with Octoprint. If you need to plate several STL files together on a single print plate, you would have to do that in Cura or other program (you could even do it in Tinkercad if you wanted to stay in-browser I suppose) and then either save the collection as an STL or go ahead and slice it to gcode and upload the gcode directly to Octoprint. It is technically possible for a single install and Raspberry Pi to control more than one 3D printer, but it isn’t built in to the system and is something I’d only recommend to technical users. RPi’s aren’t expensive, and having one per printer isn’t the end of the world, but hopefully over time the OctoPi setup will evolve to handle multiple printers natively.

I’ve been using the latest version of Octoprint for months now, and it’s simplified so much of my work with my 3D printer. If you are responsible for running the makerspace or 3d printer service in your library, check out Octoprint. I’m guessing it will make your life easier.

I’m considering putting together a workshop on how to install and use Octoprint with your 3D printer…would anyone be interested in such a training? If so, leave me a comment and let me know, I’ll see if I can find a venue and do it sometime this winter.

Categories
3D Printing Release_Candidate

MIT Researchers are 3D-Printing High-Tech Hair

Printing hair is revolutionary, because—in addition to being incredibly delicate—each strand has unique properties and can be customizable, says Jifei Ou, a Ph.D. student at the MIT Media Lab Tangible Media Group and the lead author of the paper.

Source: MIT Researchers are 3D-Printing High-Tech Hair

Categories
3D Printing Release_Candidate

Apollo 11 Command Module

To mark the 47th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon-landing mission, the Smithsonian has made available a high-resolution 3-D scan of the command module “Columbia,” the spacecraft that carried astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins to the moon. This highly detailed model allows anyone with an internet connection to explore the entire craft including its intricate interior, which is not possible when viewing the artifact in the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. The Smithsonian is also making the data files of the model available for download so it can be 3-D printed or viewed with virtual-reality goggles.

Source: 3d.si | Apollo 11 Command Module

Categories
3D Printing Release_Candidate Wearable computing

Disney Research brings 3D printing principles to knitting machines

Disney Research has been on a serious roll with its 3D printing innovations and 3D printing patents. From high-res 3D printing processes, to replicating reflective properties onto 3D printed surfaces, to 3D printed wall-climbing robots, it seems as though Disney is looking to redefine how movie merchandise is made using 3D printing technology. But their latest study shows that they are also keen to bring 3D printing principles to other industries, for they have developed a new compiler that lets knitting machines behave like 3D printers and easily produce customized objects.

Source: 3ders.org – Disney Research brings custom 3D printing principles to knitting machines with new compiler | 3D Printer News & 3D Printing News